Facts AF... I started climbing around 240lbs, struggling to even get V0's. Now around 200lbs, and climbing easier V3's, but pumped to see how much more I can climb the more I drop weight.
I started climbing 7 months ago at 200 pounds and am approaching 170 now. It really does make an absurd difference in what you can do, and how much of it you can do.
@@B1G_DUCK simple Calories in/calories out. Aimed for 2000 a day and tracked it. Pretty steady .5 to 1lb a week. The biggest food change that made a difference was to stop drinking calories. Diet soda instead of regular, Splenda instead of sugar in tea, etc.
TF are you talking about? Almost any professional climber or coach with a significant media presence talks about diet and weight. When they do, they generally encourage balanced macros and calorie counting, but never restricting. Restricting only leads to an energy deficit and no strength gains. If you want some good videos on diet and weight look to Hooper's Beta, Emil Abrahamson, or Dave Macleod. There's no substantial data or scientific approach to what this guy is talking about/doing. It's frankly dangerous and just bad advice to "just cut to see gains".
Hell yeah, dude. I'm going through something similar: I recently went from 185 to 165 lbs. This was a massive boost to my climbing performance, and thus confidence. I'm not quite at my goal weight yet as I've started plateauing, but your video has given me a second wind.
I'm really glad you made this video, props to you for having the courage. It's how I found your channel. I know this is a controversial topic, but for those of us that are muscular but heavy, you are speaking straight facts. I was 5'9" and 175 lbs. I found your video after already losing some weight and it convinced me to keep going so I bookmarked it. I am now I am 160, and have gained about two V grades. It is the fastest improvement I have made to my climbing. I know weight loss will eventually slow and progress will halt, but I am waiting for consistent finger training to show results while climbing at a much higher level in the meantime. Also I went from only being able to lock-off, to super close to a one arm pullup. Thanks!
congratulations. At your height I think 160 lbs should be pretty manageable to maintain and I hope you aren't suffering any negative side effects form the weight loss.
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing no negative effects at all, I feel great! I’m actually still losing weight. Planning to sit at 150-155ish, I think that’ll be comfortable and give me even a little more performance. If you ever find yourself driving south into iowa, let me know and I’ll meet you with pads on our classic cave problems! We got a v11 I think you’d crush. Not worth the drive on it’s own though
i think that the climbing community has overcorrected when it comes to weight loss discourse and that most amateur climbers would benefit from losing some excess fat (although even framing it that way is a little silly because it's impossible to ONLY lose fat without losing any muscle.) from that vantage point, i appreciate this video. alternatively, i think it should be noted that plenty of high level climbers have experienced similar drastic gains from increasing their caloric intake and putting on some weight. i cant even remember how many climbers have discussed this particular phenomenon on the training beta or struggle podcast. however, it sounds like these advanced/sometimes elite climbers experienced gains from eating more for some specific reasons that wouldn't apply to most amateurs. 1) they were working with a team of professionals (nutritionists, coaches, etc.) to support them (in some cases, at least); 2) they were below a healthy performance weight to begin with; 3) this is almost synonymous with the last point, but they were chronically "cutting" or underfueling, which, over a long period of time, can lead to plateau or regress. TL;DR: i don't disagree with this video because i think the climbing community (especially professionals in the community) are a little too cautious about recommending weight loss, but i think it lacks some important nuance because sustaining a very low weight (relative to your body composition) can be damaging in the long run.
It is possible to lose fat while losing minimal/ basically almost no muscle above a certain bodyfat, about 10%. 10% will be the sweet spot for most people to be healthy and strong anyways. Just eat plenty protein and dont lose weight too fast and you will keep the muscles. Its only when you go into single digits that muscle loss becomes a problem, but that is unhealthy either way.
This video is really crucial and it’s so neglected especially in todays world of no body shaming etc. I’m 5’9 and 200 lbs (lots of muscle) from a powerlifting background, but I do have about 35-40 lbs of fat I can get off my body. Being a heavier climber means everything I do per move is exponentially more difficult than anyone else. Irrespective of technique and strength, weight is the most important factor we have control of as climbers. One way to think of it is like this Tendons and ligaments in our fingers have an upper limit for how stiff they can get. Our finger strength can only get so high. Let’s say a 200 lb person can max pull 125 lbs of force per hand. If your pulling strength has diminishing return, then getting your bodyweight as close to your max pulling strength while simultaneously trying to increase that strength is the key to climbing harder. If you have a 130 lb athlete who can Tindeq score 150-160 lbs on max pulls with 4 finger open hand position, than technically that climber can move their body with 1 hand alone. Every time I hear people say weight doesn’t matter for climbing is either being dishonest or severally mistaken. Show me one overweight pro climber. Hell, even the dudes that are over 6 feet tall in climbing are still like 170 lbs lol
Weight loss is such a big difference. I lost only about 10 lbs. I can see huge improvements in every area in climbing. My one armers went from 3 (right), 1 (left) to 6 (right), 4(left). And my weakest link being fingers. I can now add weight on my 25 mm one arm hangs, which seemed extremely hard few months back. I am planning to lose another 10lbs and hopefully being able to hang 10mm one hand!
I bouldered for 3 years straight with around a weight of 76-78KG(167-171lbs) and now after a 2 year hiatus I'm at 82-85KG (180-187lbs) partial fat but also muscle from training calisthenics for about nine months. The strain I feel on my tendons and fingers is massive. Technique is there and all but everything feels heavy and sluggish, not nimble as I used to be. Also gonna be cutting down at least the fat part and incorporate some heavy strenght training as weighted pull ups etc but my eating hasn't changed because I had boxing as my calorie burner back then which I don't do anymore and have no real access to where I currently live so it will be some sort of diet or the spin bike at the climbing gym :( Good content man keep it up!
Man this is so reassuring to hear. I’ve been a climber for 3 years but came from a background of bodybuilding/powerlifting. Unfortunately this mass works against me in my climbing so I’ve decided to try and drop from 200 to 160 to climb harder.
I'm 6'2 and usually weigh 185-ish and climb ~v7, occasionally an 8 that was reachy, very dynamic, or I projected the hell out of it. This video inspired me to lose some weight. My goal is between 165-170. I'm currently at 175 and now crushing all but the crimpiest of v8's. I feel more capable and stable on the wall. Thanks for the inspriation.
I went from weighing 168 to bulking up to 195. Honestly climbed better than I ever had in the 7-8 range. But it was obviously a lot more load still can get way better at this weight and chase 9-10. One of the big advantages I had at a higher weight is I can climb harder longer and more often. Also the approach for climbs was easier.
Losing weight gives you short term gains but you have to recognise it stumps long term strength growth, you aren't going to really improve muscle quality or strength while dropping weight or maintaining low body fat without peds or really good genetics. (Of course you will be relatively stronger while youre lean though). Personally i think using weight loss is nice as a tool, but, you can get even better results long term cycling the weight up and down. Also you can climb more when youre heavier without getting tired / injured so its better for skill improvement or just if you want to climb more days / hours a week.
I would have to say that that is true if you're dropping to a rather low weight...but if you're just dropping down to a "safe level" for your body then strength gains will continue along with improvement of technique without suffering any adverse affects. I understand dropping/gaining weight for switching from lead to boulder but if you are only doing one discipline then maintenance of weight would be the best course of action to prevent your body's hormones from jumping around too much. At heavier weight injury is definitely much more prevalent...though I'm sure you mean a "heavier stronger" weight in which case I will also have to agree. And yes, you will probably have more stamina due to having more calories in your body to expend. But I can also see not needing as much calories to move your body because your body is easier to move when it is lighter. And typically lead climbers way less than those who Boulder in part due to having a lighter body makes it easier to move and thus requiring less endurance/stamina to perform.
This is why I injure myself all the time xD 250 lbs doing v2-v4s, but I can't do much dynamic stuff or I just destroy my tendons/ligaments and can't climb for a while.
Interesting. What's your thought process? I ask because that's actually the same type of goal I came up with for myself. I want to drop from 202 lbs (at 5'9") to 180 lbs, but not until I send an outdoor V4. Right now, I'm projecting a V3 known to be solid if not hard for the grade (I say this as someone who sent the boulder back when I was younger and lighter). I am going to stick to my goal because I'm so close to it. However, looking back, I'm not so sure that it was a good approach. I feel like I'm just beginning to finally restore my lock-off skills. I mean, locking off was just part of how I climbed when I was younger and 165 lbs. It seems like some techniques simply require a certain strength-to-weight ratio to execute. So, you might be stunting your progress just by the fact that there are advanced techniques required by most V9s that you aren't practicing yet because you can't. If I were to go back a few years to when I first returned to climbing, I would do at least part of the weight loss earlier on.
not many youtuber would talk about that, its very taboo, and they always try to convince people that you can perform in climbing while being heavier. the truth is yes you can still perform well, but its not optimal. i was 6ft 185 pounds at 11% body fat, i manage to shred a bit to 174 pounds at 10% body fat, even tho i lost mainly muscle mass, i climb stronger, recover better from less stress on joints, and i can do some dynamic move i couldnt before.. and i still consider myself on the heavy side at 174 ..
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing yeah thats always the risk pf taking it too far. im a nutritionist myself, i make sure that i get every nutrient that i need, but im far from perfect. i know way to well that this is a fine line to walk on. i wouldnt ever recommend to anyone what im doing.
I've literally gained weight when i started climbing regularly, cause I'm just starved after a session and I end up eating 2 more meals a day because of it. Had the same weight for 20 years, did many sports and never had an issue maintaining my weight until now. If i eat the same as i did before, i just end up getting sick. 😩
I think climbing is at an awkward period right now where most of the people engaging in it are doing so very casually, which was not the case even at the turn of the century. There's nothing wrong with that in itself, but prescribing what people who are trying to be elite should do based on what a casual person should do is wrong imo. There are a LOT of sports where people undergo more extreme weight cutting to gain even a sight advantage, see pugilism/mma and horse racing. Those sports have much shorter careers than climbing, so I think that makes people more willing to go to extreme lengths to be great. The point is that if you want to be great at anything, that is to say elite level, it requires you to be willing to do a lot of things most people aren't: hard (and smart) training, regimented diets, and a level of obsession that sets you apart from the rest. All of this could be considered disordered or compulsive behavior from armchair psychologists, but people latch onto the eating/weight part because it hits too close to home for a lot of people. If your goal isn't to climb HARD, then the weight thing doesn't apply, but if it is then there will inevitably come a point where weight may hold you back, and it's useless to run away from that fact.
Good points. It's a sensitive topic but a lot of the discussions around it seem completely irrational. You got the mostly highly advanced (almost exclusively ripped) athletes that will just tell you "you don't need to lose weight to get better, just improve technique, become more flexible,..." - you name it, when it is obviously clear that the vast majority of normal climbers would simply climb way harder if they lost some weight. Then you have the old school climbers who obsess over weight, walking sticks who barely train (because they can't recover) who won't admit that eating disorders and associated conditions are extremely wide-spread in elite climbing. It's a taboo topic and the whole discourse around it is disfunctional, which, IMO, just makes it harder for unexperienced folks to make informed decisions and makes it more likely that they get frustrated or fuck up.
I am 6 ft (184 cm) tall and weigh about 205 lbs (93 kg) at the moment. Guess my bodyfat is around 14-15%. Currently climb 6C+ (V5/6) and project 7A (V6). I use the 7-53 protocol with + 22 kg (+ 23%) at the moment. Started my diet last week, shredding down to ~ 187 lbs (85 kg). Curious about the results.
TH-cam really be reading my mind .. recommends this video to me just as I was thinking that I need to lose wait to progress in climbing I'm about 168 pounds and I want to go down to like 140-145 and considering switching to a normal gym for a few months for that purpose.
I'm about 152 lb at 5'8. I'd like to lose some of that weight, maybe get to about 145 lbs. Probably not lower because I like having some extra muscle and like keeping antagonistic muscles in shape. I've been trying without tracking anything, but so far it doesn't really seem to work.
like you're not losing weight???...if that's the case then you're not in a "calorie deficit" regardless of whatever it is you think you are doing correctly. Drop your calorie intake by 10-15% and monitor what happens for another week. Also keep in mind...currently you are not tracking...tracking is rather important if you want to "measure" progress and methods for losing weight.... Or ...you lost weight and can't tell a difference in your strength???
Definitely not impossible for your weight. I weigh 176lbs and can do 3 OAPs and can hang +20kg on the 20mm edge. It's just training specifity and time that allows you to do it at certain bodyweights.
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing slightly but that comes with longer leavers which makes OAPs typically harder. I'm saying jumping to 'impossible' for those metrics isn't right, you were likely 90% of the way to doing both the fingerstrength and the pulling strength and gaining 10% strength without dropping the bodyweight is achievable, not impossible
aye but if you want to keep pushing that grade the harder and harder grades will require more power, it's a lot harder to put muscle on when you're incredibly lean than when you're allowing yourself to have the calories. I think leaning down is good in a performance phase but it may limit you a bit if you stay super lean indefinitely
besides the fact that most climbers are more "shredded" vs "jacked"...I think putting on muscle mass, 5-10 lbs- will surely be beneficial...but losing weight first and then slowly adding that muscle mass seems like a better approach to gaining strength simply due to climbing being a strength to weight ratio activity. If at a heavier weight you put on muscle mass...now you are overall stronger, yes...but also overall heavier...and that additional muscle mass along with the "not losing weight first mass" might make that strength gain negligible or even pointless. I think there is a reason why climber's at my height are clocking in at about 130lbs and never having a "bulk phase"...but still continue to get stronger and better as time progress via "very very very" slow strength gains over time. And when it comes to building "finger strength"...it's more tendons vs muscles...and tendons regardless of extra mass or not will take forever long to acquire...but building them while you weigh less is definitely the safer approach given you're not complete malnourish. To put an extreme example...it's like the guy who bulks up to 200 lbs while climbing and says "I'll climb super heavy and then when I drop to 130 I'll be a super good climber because I used to carry so much weight on my body." ...But this example, extreme as it is, has never seen a replication of it even on a less extreme example. Say...Tomoa bulks up to 160lbs...in the "off season"...and then drops back down to 130 during "comp season"....I don't think thats better than just staying 130 lbs year round. And again...no one does this. Its always been about maintaining a low enough weight and slowly building performance on top of that.
Yup, most of our fat is completely dead weight for climbing. Lose more fat, then your strength to weight ratio increases. Only reason to not lose weight is if your training suffers because you start feeling like shit. Everyone has a lower end of body fat percentage where they start feeling crummy, and their recovery and mental health will start to suffer. Luckily, the vast majority of casual climbers aren't anywhere close to that lower limit, so losing weight can be useful for almost all of us! It all depends on your goals though. Maybe you don't want to climb harder, and you're happy with where you are because you just enjoy the process of climbing. However, I doubt anyone watching this video is in that camp. Most of us want to get stronger, climb harder, and send higher grades!
I definitely tracked and got to know my calories and portion sizes...etc. It took me about 6-ish months of a lot of trial and error and more trial and error
As a 185lbs climber, someone once told me "being heavier is an advantage because your training is harder!" Jokes aside, while less weight = easier climb, it's important for people to understand it's not healthy to go below their genetic limit for bodyfat%. I'm lucky and healthily maintain around 10%, but any lower and I get hit with brainfog and probably get lower T. For most men, a healthy bodyfat% can be between 10 and 25%, but obviously there are outliers (I'm looking at you, damn son you're probably anywhere from 5-10% and if you say you're healthy and fine that's absolutely incredible, bodybuilders would be jealous!)
This does make a lot of sense. Do you have any advice for some fundamentally important training exercises to build the muscle for the type of climbing you do if you're lacking muscle but are at a decent weight for your height for climbing?
the general hang boarding and pull ups is very foundational and you can hardley ever go wrong with those...but if you hate those type of exercises then I rec the "board climbing" at about 40 degree as that will also build your finger and pulling strength while climbing. And when it comes to the hang board I primary only train two grips...open hand and 3-finger drag.
I decided I don't want to do the Raven. Currently working on Humpty Hump, V10...next is Great Wheel of Civilization, V10....then "MAYBE" A Wing and a Prayer, V11 followed by Left of Llyod's, V11 and then and only then when I've run our of hard climbs to do...I guess I shall look towards the Raven. Only because I'm not the biggest fan of Sandstone and mosquitos.
I don't know...simply because it is a recent development for me. Though through the examples I mentioned I do for fact know that it is something that is being done constantly. I would like to drop to 130 and see how my body reacts to it. If it starts falling apart then I'll most definitely increase my weight at that time. But right now at around 140lbs I feel stronger than ever and health is the same if not better. I will say I do get tire a little bit easier but it's marginal and my performance is still substantially better than what it used to be at 165. I would hope I can maintain a lower weight forever or until I feel like not climbing as hard as I can anymore.
This is not a sustainable way. I am checking in on 90kg projecting my first V14s Better bulk up. This stuff is definitely not the best message in a sport already dealing with eating disorders.
you are def the anomaly here. I also feel like you are tall enough to accommodate that weight. Because I think you're willing to simply say "if all climbers weigh 90kg" then they all would be better climbers
Well, of course. I am 190cm. But again, you can’t loose weight forever. One day you will Plateau or worse, injure yourself . Also getting to higher grades is a way more strategic game, at least for me. It starts with picking the richt problem, fitting your height and weight ;) but also invest more projecting time and keep an eye on conditions. Strength will come over time, don’t worry. Just don’t rely on loosing weight forever.
I never said to lose weight forever. I said to "lose weight"...Taking what I said and stretching it to the worst possible outcome and only looking at That variable is a bias perspective. That would be like me taking your "Better Bulk Up" statement and becoming 240lbs of bodybuilding sheer mass which is obviously not what you're saying. You're approach and additional added on information to my statement of "lose weight to climb harder" is too extreme to leave room for the truth of "having a lighter body makes it easier to move it, basic physics." Not to mention, best (the very top best) climbers in the world...none are 90 kg or close to that weight regardless of their height.
for me I started at 165...it took me about 6 months from conception to finally hitting 140. Of course those 6 months was a lot of trial and error and etc ect. At the end of the day I just ate less food. That's it.
Losing weight doesn’t make you a better climber it just makes climbing easier and it only works once then you got nothing left to lose so train at whatever is sustainable and get strong there then drop a couple pounds if you need the short term performance boost
so would the inverse be true then... does gaining weight not affect "how good" you are when it comes to climbing. Say you gain 50lbs....are you still the same. "good climber" prior to the weight gain???
Dude, so is Emil Abrahamsson just good then? Because he promotes a different philosophy and has better results ('great' results you could say) and has alot more science behind it to back it up and a ticklist to justify said philosophy. get in the sea with this casual pseudo crap please! I implore people to watch more than just this if you think you're too heavy to climb what you want. Maybe its a power to weight issue, bad diet issues or even over training or not training smart etc.
So are you saying if all the climbers at the elite level put on 10-20 pounds then they would all of a suddenly climb much harder than before??? Your examples of "heavy" strong climbers are the anomaly...not the norm. There's a hand full of these climbers who manage to gain a solid amount of weight and improve their climbing. But for most, the vast majority, they maintain a relatively low body weight per their height and this is true regardless of their heights. Simply go look at the IFSC list of top ranking competitors, male and female and you will find all of them don't weigh that much in accordance with their height.
Yes, Emil is good for his weight (and height) Also he probably has a good resistance to injuries for his height/weight, allowing him to train hard over years. I mean it's a bit sad but look at the climbing competitions; the more bulky athletes are almost always dead last. I have a big ass and it does nothing for me.
Hey I really like your videos you get straight to the point it's refreshing but I think that endorsing reducing weight by eating less instead of practicing healthier eating choices is kind of a dangerous message to spread. Obviously this is not a comment on your health you do you, but i just think this is maybe not the best message for a community which already struggles with a high percentage of eating disorders
Maybe its just because I already know about caloric deficit and everything but to me eating less = eating less calories. Being in a caloric deficit is the only way to lose weight. Doesn't matter if you are practicing healthier eating choices, if you are still in a caloric surplus then you will gain weight and to fix that then you simply eat less. By how much less is different for everyone but its usually not much. Everyone should be practicing healthier eating choices if they want to perform in any athletic sense. Also the meaning of a "healthy" diet is really hard to pin down. There are general rules that you can follow to be a generally healthy person but I have learned recently that there is a pretty insane variety of diets that are healthy and have althetes performing at their best. Highly recommend checking out Dave Macleod. He did an amazing video on eating nothing but McDonalds burger patties for two months and his results. Really expanded my perception of what it means for a diet to be "healthy".
@@michaelpook6651 yes some people could benefit from eating less but it should always be said that practicing healthier habits should be the first thing someone tries because eating less can be unsustainable and unhealthy. People with eating disorders will also take any excuse to relapse
I see you scuff...But literally the only way to lose weight is by being in a "calorie deficit." 99% of the time that's called "eating less (specially less calories)." There's no other words for it. And "eating less" can indeed be a "healthy habit." Just like how "eating more" can also be considered healthy depending on your scenario. So I do think the immediate jump on your perspective that "eating less" automatically means "unhealthy" is rather bias. Also considering the mention of the "climbing community" and how there is a "weight issue"...but that's only a small fraction of the climbing community. That's the "top level, elite" part of the climbing community which is not the "whole" of the community. The majority of the climbing community normally climbs at a V3-V6 level and live at a very very healthy weight with no desire to lose weight.
This video is nothing but toxic and misinformed. There is already a HUGE problem with eating disorders in our sport, and losing lots of weight is a very unsustainable way to get strong for the vast majority of climbers. Everyone already knows that losing weight "works" if you want to climb harder. But what people don't talk about as much is that staying at a weight below your body's setpoint and eating in a calorie deficit for a prolonged period of time will cause long-term damage to your health and your body will slowly but surely break down. After a few months or maybe it might take up to a few years, your muscle will start to eat itself and your body will stop functioning normally. It is especially dangerous for women because we are at risk of losing our periods and it makes us especially susceptible to diseases like osteoporosis. Please do actual research before talking about topics you know nothing about and potentially hurting viewers' health. Adequate nutrition for athletes/climbers that train hard is more important than short-term strength gains that you would get anyways with a few more months/years of training.
See? that's the problem right here. Eating disorders has nothing to do with this video. You can't beat eating disorders just by spouting "hey eat whatever you want in this bodyweight dependent sport" and expect great results.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Webb and Jan Hoer sit laughing at puny minded pseudo bullshit. Honestly content of this regard put out by casuals, and not backed up by nutritionist or pro coaches is some of the most dangerous culture breeding content out there. Be smart guys watch more than this and get expert advice.
you do realize Jimmy and Jan are like "way taller" than me and thus can afford to carry more weight...meanwhile climbers at my height...Megos, Tomoa, Stephano...none of them are close to weigher as much as Jimmy or Jan. And Jan is an anomaly in climbing in terms of his weight of 170lbs...while Adam who is very similar in height only weighs 155lbs. Are you saying Adam would be a better climber if you weighed as much as Hoer???
What the hell lol, that's the heaviest guys you could find? They're light haha. Jimmy is freaking shredded when in send mode. he's also 183cm. Also, you literally find exceptions to the rule where all the good climbers on average tend to be very light.
Facts AF... I started climbing around 240lbs, struggling to even get V0's. Now around 200lbs, and climbing easier V3's, but pumped to see how much more I can climb the more I drop weight.
even lost his eyebrows, that's dedication
I started climbing 7 months ago at 200 pounds and am approaching 170 now. It really does make an absurd difference in what you can do, and how much of it you can do.
nice work on the weight loss man. keep at it.
Hey, I know it's a bit late to comment here but, how'd you lose weight?
@@B1G_DUCK simple Calories in/calories out. Aimed for 2000 a day and tracked it. Pretty steady .5 to 1lb a week.
The biggest food change that made a difference was to stop drinking calories. Diet soda instead of regular, Splenda instead of sugar in tea, etc.
@@nathanrice7352
Dang that is crazy slow for 2000 calories. I lose 3lbs a week at 2000 calories which is way too fast
@@TheBanana202 I'm not super active outside of climbing(desk job, less than 2k steps most days), and have fairly low muscle mass cause I'm tall af.
Finally someone who tells the truth in a world where talking about weight seems to become a no-go 🎉
TF are you talking about? Almost any professional climber or coach with a significant media presence talks about diet and weight. When they do, they generally encourage balanced macros and calorie counting, but never restricting. Restricting only leads to an energy deficit and no strength gains. If you want some good videos on diet and weight look to Hooper's Beta, Emil Abrahamson, or Dave Macleod. There's no substantial data or scientific approach to what this guy is talking about/doing. It's frankly dangerous and just bad advice to "just cut to see gains".
Hell yeah, dude. I'm going through something similar: I recently went from 185 to 165 lbs. This was a massive boost to my climbing performance, and thus confidence. I'm not quite at my goal weight yet as I've started plateauing, but your video has given me a second wind.
oh yeah congrats. keep at it and obviously try new things if you feel the plateau.
You havent started plateauing dude you just lack energy because your muscles lack water after cutting weight so much weight.
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing new things like ignoring you.
@@ashhodson2063 Sorry, I thought it was obvious from contextual clues. My weight loss is what plateaued, not my climbing performance.
I'm really glad you made this video, props to you for having the courage. It's how I found your channel. I know this is a controversial topic, but for those of us that are muscular but heavy, you are speaking straight facts. I was 5'9" and 175 lbs. I found your video after already losing some weight and it convinced me to keep going so I bookmarked it. I am now I am 160, and have gained about two V grades. It is the fastest improvement I have made to my climbing. I know weight loss will eventually slow and progress will halt, but I am waiting for consistent finger training to show results while climbing at a much higher level in the meantime. Also I went from only being able to lock-off, to super close to a one arm pullup. Thanks!
congratulations. At your height I think 160 lbs should be pretty manageable to maintain and I hope you aren't suffering any negative side effects form the weight loss.
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing no negative effects at all, I feel great! I’m actually still losing weight. Planning to sit at 150-155ish, I think that’ll be comfortable and give me even a little more performance. If you ever find yourself driving south into iowa, let me know and I’ll meet you with pads on our classic cave problems! We got a v11 I think you’d crush. Not worth the drive on it’s own though
oh sheshh...super dope. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks. And GL on your losing weight.
i think that the climbing community has overcorrected when it comes to weight loss discourse and that most amateur climbers would benefit from losing some excess fat (although even framing it that way is a little silly because it's impossible to ONLY lose fat without losing any muscle.) from that vantage point, i appreciate this video. alternatively, i think it should be noted that plenty of high level climbers have experienced similar drastic gains from increasing their caloric intake and putting on some weight. i cant even remember how many climbers have discussed this particular phenomenon on the training beta or struggle podcast. however, it sounds like these advanced/sometimes elite climbers experienced gains from eating more for some specific reasons that wouldn't apply to most amateurs. 1) they were working with a team of professionals (nutritionists, coaches, etc.) to support them (in some cases, at least); 2) they were below a healthy performance weight to begin with; 3) this is almost synonymous with the last point, but they were chronically "cutting" or underfueling, which, over a long period of time, can lead to plateau or regress. TL;DR: i don't disagree with this video because i think the climbing community (especially professionals in the community) are a little too cautious about recommending weight loss, but i think it lacks some important nuance because sustaining a very low weight (relative to your body composition) can be damaging in the long run.
It is possible to lose fat while losing minimal/ basically almost no muscle above a certain bodyfat, about 10%. 10% will be the sweet spot for most people to be healthy and strong anyways. Just eat plenty protein and dont lose weight too fast and you will keep the muscles. Its only when you go into single digits that muscle loss becomes a problem, but that is unhealthy either way.
This video is really crucial and it’s so neglected especially in todays world of no body shaming etc.
I’m 5’9 and 200 lbs (lots of muscle) from a powerlifting background, but I do have about 35-40 lbs of fat I can get off my body.
Being a heavier climber means everything I do per move is exponentially more difficult than anyone else.
Irrespective of technique and strength, weight is the most important factor we have control of as climbers.
One way to think of it is like this
Tendons and ligaments in our fingers have an upper limit for how stiff they can get. Our finger strength can only get so high.
Let’s say a 200 lb person can max pull 125 lbs of force per hand.
If your pulling strength has diminishing return, then getting your bodyweight as close to your max pulling strength while simultaneously trying to increase that strength is the key to climbing harder.
If you have a 130 lb athlete who can Tindeq score 150-160 lbs on max pulls with 4 finger open hand position, than technically that climber can move their body with 1 hand alone.
Every time I hear people say weight doesn’t matter for climbing is either being dishonest or severally mistaken.
Show me one overweight pro climber.
Hell, even the dudes that are over 6 feet tall in climbing are still like 170 lbs lol
Weight loss is such a big difference. I lost only about 10 lbs. I can see huge improvements in every area in climbing. My one armers went from 3 (right), 1 (left) to 6 (right), 4(left). And my weakest link being fingers. I can now add weight on my 25 mm one arm hangs, which seemed extremely hard few months back. I am planning to lose another 10lbs and hopefully being able to hang 10mm one hand!
i'm in the same boat. I'm sure there will be a point of diminishing return but I'll have to play with it once I'm there
I bouldered for 3 years straight with around a weight of 76-78KG(167-171lbs) and now after a 2 year hiatus I'm at 82-85KG (180-187lbs) partial fat but also muscle from training calisthenics for about nine months. The strain I feel on my tendons and fingers is massive. Technique is there and all but everything feels heavy and sluggish, not nimble as I used to be. Also gonna be cutting down at least the fat part and incorporate some heavy strenght training as weighted pull ups etc but my eating hasn't changed because I had boxing as my calorie burner back then which I don't do anymore and have no real access to where I currently live so it will be some sort of diet or the spin bike at the climbing gym :(
Good content man keep it up!
Man this is so reassuring to hear. I’ve been a climber for 3 years but came from a background of bodybuilding/powerlifting. Unfortunately this mass works against me in my climbing so I’ve decided to try and drop from 200 to 160 to climb harder.
Hey dude I was wondering if you could make a vid walking us through a week of your training
damn...it won't be very interesting at all...but I shall consider
Thanks for talking so honestly about weight. It's so true that everyone assures us weight doesn't matter, but it totally does!!😳
You seem to have the most relatable mind, to my own, that I can find. Quickly, becoming one of my favorite youtubers. Keep up the great vids, partner.
thanks bro. appreciate it
I'm 6'2 and usually weigh 185-ish and climb ~v7, occasionally an 8 that was reachy, very dynamic, or I projected the hell out of it. This video inspired me to lose some weight. My goal is between 165-170. I'm currently at 175 and now crushing all but the crimpiest of v8's. I feel more capable and stable on the wall. Thanks for the inspriation.
yeah do it. nice and slowly do it
I went from weighing 168 to bulking up to 195. Honestly climbed better than I ever had in the 7-8 range. But it was obviously a lot more load still can get way better at this weight and chase 9-10. One of the big advantages I had at a higher weight is I can climb harder longer and more often. Also the approach for climbs was easier.
Losing weight gives you short term gains but you have to recognise it stumps long term strength growth, you aren't going to really improve muscle quality or strength while dropping weight or maintaining low body fat without peds or really good genetics. (Of course you will be relatively stronger while youre lean though). Personally i think using weight loss is nice as a tool, but, you can get even better results long term cycling the weight up and down. Also you can climb more when youre heavier without getting tired / injured so its better for skill improvement or just if you want to climb more days / hours a week.
I would have to say that that is true if you're dropping to a rather low weight...but if you're just dropping down to a "safe level" for your body then strength gains will continue along with improvement of technique without suffering any adverse affects.
I understand dropping/gaining weight for switching from lead to boulder but if you are only doing one discipline then maintenance of weight would be the best course of action to prevent your body's hormones from jumping around too much.
At heavier weight injury is definitely much more prevalent...though I'm sure you mean a "heavier stronger" weight in which case I will also have to agree. And yes, you will probably have more stamina due to having more calories in your body to expend. But I can also see not needing as much calories to move your body because your body is easier to move when it is lighter. And typically lead climbers way less than those who Boulder in part due to having a lighter body makes it easier to move and thus requiring less endurance/stamina to perform.
This is why I injure myself all the time xD
250 lbs doing v2-v4s, but I can't do much dynamic stuff or I just destroy my tendons/ligaments and can't climb for a while.
I don't think I want to shred the weight till I'm approaching V10.
shred weight and You'll get there faster
Interesting. What's your thought process? I ask because that's actually the same type of goal I came up with for myself. I want to drop from 202 lbs (at 5'9") to 180 lbs, but not until I send an outdoor V4. Right now, I'm projecting a V3 known to be solid if not hard for the grade (I say this as someone who sent the boulder back when I was younger and lighter). I am going to stick to my goal because I'm so close to it. However, looking back, I'm not so sure that it was a good approach. I feel like I'm just beginning to finally restore my lock-off skills. I mean, locking off was just part of how I climbed when I was younger and 165 lbs. It seems like some techniques simply require a certain strength-to-weight ratio to execute. So, you might be stunting your progress just by the fact that there are advanced techniques required by most V9s that you aren't practicing yet because you can't. If I were to go back a few years to when I first returned to climbing, I would do at least part of the weight loss earlier on.
not many youtuber would talk about that, its very taboo, and they always try to convince people that you can perform in climbing while being heavier. the truth is yes you can still perform well, but its not optimal. i was 6ft 185 pounds at 11% body fat, i manage to shred a bit to 174 pounds at 10% body fat, even tho i lost mainly muscle mass, i climb stronger, recover better from less stress on joints, and i can do some dynamic move i couldnt before.. and i still consider myself on the heavy side at 174 ..
congrates on that. hopefuly you never take it too extreme though. I think i went a tad bit too far too quick LOL
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing yeah thats always the risk pf taking it too far. im a nutritionist myself, i make sure that i get every nutrient that i need, but im far from perfect. i know way to well that this is a fine line to walk on. i wouldnt ever recommend to anyone what im doing.
I've literally gained weight when i started climbing regularly, cause I'm just starved after a session and I end up eating 2 more meals a day because of it. Had the same weight for 20 years, did many sports and never had an issue maintaining my weight until now. If i eat the same as i did before, i just end up getting sick. 😩
I think climbing is at an awkward period right now where most of the people engaging in it are doing so very casually, which was not the case even at the turn of the century. There's nothing wrong with that in itself, but prescribing what people who are trying to be elite should do based on what a casual person should do is wrong imo. There are a LOT of sports where people undergo more extreme weight cutting to gain even a sight advantage, see pugilism/mma and horse racing. Those sports have much shorter careers than climbing, so I think that makes people more willing to go to extreme lengths to be great.
The point is that if you want to be great at anything, that is to say elite level, it requires you to be willing to do a lot of things most people aren't: hard (and smart) training, regimented diets, and a level of obsession that sets you apart from the rest. All of this could be considered disordered or compulsive behavior from armchair psychologists, but people latch onto the eating/weight part because it hits too close to home for a lot of people.
If your goal isn't to climb HARD, then the weight thing doesn't apply, but if it is then there will inevitably come a point where weight may hold you back, and it's useless to run away from that fact.
Lost 20 pounds in 1 1/2 months and despite still being overweight, noticed huge improvement. I don't feel stronger, but I'm climbing higher grades.
Good points. It's a sensitive topic but a lot of the discussions around it seem completely irrational. You got the mostly highly advanced (almost exclusively ripped) athletes that will just tell you "you don't need to lose weight to get better, just improve technique, become more flexible,..." - you name it, when it is obviously clear that the vast majority of normal climbers would simply climb way harder if they lost some weight. Then you have the old school climbers who obsess over weight, walking sticks who barely train (because they can't recover) who won't admit that eating disorders and associated conditions are extremely wide-spread in elite climbing. It's a taboo topic and the whole discourse around it is disfunctional, which, IMO, just makes it harder for unexperienced folks to make informed decisions and makes it more likely that they get frustrated or fuck up.
I am 6 ft (184 cm) tall and weigh about 205 lbs (93 kg) at the moment. Guess my bodyfat is around 14-15%.
Currently climb 6C+ (V5/6) and project 7A (V6). I use the 7-53 protocol with + 22 kg (+ 23%) at the moment.
Started my diet last week, shredding down to ~ 187 lbs (85 kg).
Curious about the results.
yeah. how it go?
TH-cam really be reading my mind .. recommends this video to me just as I was thinking that I need to lose wait to progress in climbing
I'm about 168 pounds and I want to go down to like 140-145 and considering switching to a normal gym for a few months for that purpose.
make sure you don't take it too far to quickly. 👍 I know I did for sure and suffered some consequences do to that
I lost weight to climb harder... and guess what. After a while I got used to my new weight and didn't feel the difference any more.
Impossible for the strength you had at that weight* Big difference.
Damn, excellent 4min video.
thank you
102kg at 178cm , i struggle with anything close to 5 and over
I'm about 152 lb at 5'8. I'd like to lose some of that weight, maybe get to about 145 lbs. Probably not lower because I like having some extra muscle and like keeping antagonistic muscles in shape. I've been trying without tracking anything, but so far it doesn't really seem to work.
like you're not losing weight???...if that's the case then you're not in a "calorie deficit" regardless of whatever it is you think you are doing correctly. Drop your calorie intake by 10-15% and monitor what happens for another week. Also keep in mind...currently you are not tracking...tracking is rather important if you want to "measure" progress and methods for losing weight....
Or ...you lost weight and can't tell a difference in your strength???
yo i just came acrooss ur great channel man. Beautiful to See you doing so well. Keep on going!! 😊
I appreciate that G😁
Definitely not impossible for your weight. I weigh 176lbs and can do 3 OAPs and can hang +20kg on the 20mm edge. It's just training specifity and time that allows you to do it at certain bodyweights.
are you also taller than me by any chance??? I'm 5'7, and you???
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing slightly but that comes with longer leavers which makes OAPs typically harder. I'm saying jumping to 'impossible' for those metrics isn't right, you were likely 90% of the way to doing both the fingerstrength and the pulling strength and gaining 10% strength without dropping the bodyweight is achievable, not impossible
while i'm sure you are correct in those regards...acquiring that last 10% of strength would of been vastly harder to do than just losing the weight.
aye but if you want to keep pushing that grade the harder and harder grades will require more power, it's a lot harder to put muscle on when you're incredibly lean than when you're allowing yourself to have the calories. I think leaning down is good in a performance phase but it may limit you a bit if you stay super lean indefinitely
besides the fact that most climbers are more "shredded" vs "jacked"...I think putting on muscle mass, 5-10 lbs- will surely be beneficial...but losing weight first and then slowly adding that muscle mass seems like a better approach to gaining strength simply due to climbing being a strength to weight ratio activity. If at a heavier weight you put on muscle mass...now you are overall stronger, yes...but also overall heavier...and that additional muscle mass along with the "not losing weight first mass" might make that strength gain negligible or even pointless.
I think there is a reason why climber's at my height are clocking in at about 130lbs and never having a "bulk phase"...but still continue to get stronger and better as time progress via "very very very" slow strength gains over time.
And when it comes to building "finger strength"...it's more tendons vs muscles...and tendons regardless of extra mass or not will take forever long to acquire...but building them while you weigh less is definitely the safer approach given you're not complete malnourish.
To put an extreme example...it's like the guy who bulks up to 200 lbs while climbing and says "I'll climb super heavy and then when I drop to 130 I'll be a super good climber because I used to carry so much weight on my body." ...But this example, extreme as it is, has never seen a replication of it even on a less extreme example. Say...Tomoa bulks up to 160lbs...in the "off season"...and then drops back down to 130 during "comp season"....I don't think thats better than just staying 130 lbs year round. And again...no one does this. Its always been about maintaining a low enough weight and slowly building performance on top of that.
How much protein did you eat during weight loss? I’m now something like 165 and want to break through plateau with loosing weight
dang i've recently started my cut. i'm 162 at your height bro, imma try to get to 140 as well
smash it
Did your max hangs / weighted pull-ups get weaker during the deficit or were you able to maintain your maxes throughout the cut?
i doubt he has the knowhow to answer this kind of intelligence.
i don't know why you hating so hard honestly
yeah. both got stronger pound per pound and overall strength as I lost weight.
Yup, most of our fat is completely dead weight for climbing. Lose more fat, then your strength to weight ratio increases. Only reason to not lose weight is if your training suffers because you start feeling like shit. Everyone has a lower end of body fat percentage where they start feeling crummy, and their recovery and mental health will start to suffer. Luckily, the vast majority of casual climbers aren't anywhere close to that lower limit, so losing weight can be useful for almost all of us! It all depends on your goals though. Maybe you don't want to climb harder, and you're happy with where you are because you just enjoy the process of climbing. However, I doubt anyone watching this video is in that camp. Most of us want to get stronger, climb harder, and send higher grades!
How long did it take you to lose that weight? And did you track weight/progress/food intake?
I definitely tracked and got to know my calories and portion sizes...etc.
It took me about 6-ish months of a lot of trial and error and more trial and error
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing After those 6 months, did you start eating a bit more to stay at that new maintenance level?
nahhh..still eating less LOL...if i eat more I start to put back on the weight🤣
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing how many calories do you eat a day?
As a 185lbs climber, someone once told me "being heavier is an advantage because your training is harder!"
Jokes aside, while less weight = easier climb, it's important for people to understand it's not healthy to go below their genetic limit for bodyfat%. I'm lucky and healthily maintain around 10%, but any lower and I get hit with brainfog and probably get lower T. For most men, a healthy bodyfat% can be between 10 and 25%, but obviously there are outliers (I'm looking at you, damn son you're probably anywhere from 5-10% and if you say you're healthy and fine that's absolutely incredible, bodybuilders would be jealous!)
as far as body fat is concern...most people always underestimate hoe much they have. me myself at this point in time I probably have like 10-13%
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing Well regardless you are shredded my guy 😂
This does make a lot of sense. Do you have any advice for some fundamentally important training exercises to build the muscle for the type of climbing you do if you're lacking muscle but are at a decent weight for your height for climbing?
the general hang boarding and pull ups is very foundational and you can hardley ever go wrong with those...but if you hate those type of exercises then I rec the "board climbing" at about 40 degree as that will also build your finger and pulling strength while climbing.
And when it comes to the hang board I primary only train two grips...open hand and 3-finger drag.
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing Aah, thank you!! 😄
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing curious why you don't train half crimp as well?
How close are you to sending The Raven?
I decided I don't want to do the Raven. Currently working on Humpty Hump, V10...next is Great Wheel of Civilization, V10....then "MAYBE" A Wing and a Prayer, V11 followed by Left of Llyod's, V11 and then and only then when I've run our of hard climbs to do...I guess I shall look towards the Raven. Only because I'm not the biggest fan of Sandstone and mosquitos.
How did you lose weight?
i just ate less food. it wasn't the funniest thing in the world
Do you think this is something sustainable long-term for you? Crazy progress dude.
I don't know...simply because it is a recent development for me. Though through the examples I mentioned I do for fact know that it is something that is being done constantly. I would like to drop to 130 and see how my body reacts to it. If it starts falling apart then I'll most definitely increase my weight at that time. But right now at around 140lbs I feel stronger than ever and health is the same if not better. I will say I do get tire a little bit easier but it's marginal and my performance is still substantially better than what it used to be at 165.
I would hope I can maintain a lower weight forever or until I feel like not climbing as hard as I can anymore.
Do you mean losing weight or losing fat?
a bit of both. Mostly fat though. I really notice my fat deplete. of course some muscle went along with it too.
How long did it take to lose those 10 kgs ?
bout 6 months of trial and error
my goat
Perfect ❤
I wish this video was in metric system 😅
ugh... I am too American for that LOL
There must be something wrong at your strength training if you cant do one arm pull up with 165lbs.
i just don't see how you can see that. lots of people at 165 can't
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing I did my first one weighting 202 lbs. And I can do one with 26lbs hanging on my other arm and still weight 198lbs now.
I'll have to see it to believe it
This is not a sustainable way. I am checking in on 90kg projecting my first V14s
Better bulk up. This stuff is definitely not the best message in a sport already dealing with eating disorders.
you are def the anomaly here. I also feel like you are tall enough to accommodate that weight. Because I think you're willing to simply say "if all climbers weigh 90kg" then they all would be better climbers
How tall are you though? There's a world of difference between 90kg at 6'2and 5'7.
Well, of course. I am 190cm. But again, you can’t loose weight forever. One day you will Plateau or worse, injure yourself .
Also getting to higher grades is a way more strategic game, at least for me. It starts with picking the richt problem, fitting your height and weight ;) but also invest more projecting time and keep an eye on conditions. Strength will come over time, don’t worry. Just don’t rely on loosing weight forever.
I never said to lose weight forever. I said to "lose weight"...Taking what I said and stretching it to the worst possible outcome and only looking at That variable is a bias perspective. That would be like me taking your "Better Bulk Up" statement and becoming 240lbs of bodybuilding sheer mass which is obviously not what you're saying. You're approach and additional added on information to my statement of "lose weight to climb harder" is too extreme to leave room for the truth of "having a lighter body makes it easier to move it, basic physics." Not to mention, best (the very top best) climbers in the world...none are 90 kg or close to that weight regardless of their height.
Bulking up for climbing; I've heard everything.
im currently 170 at about 6' and thinking about dropping down to 155-160... how long did it take you to lose the weight?
for me I started at 165...it took me about 6 months from conception to finally hitting 140. Of course those 6 months was a lot of trial and error and etc ect. At the end of the day I just ate less food. That's it.
Could you do a video climbing on the moonboard ?
ugh....maybe...probably...I've been utilizing the weather to climb outdoors...SO on a rainy day I probably will
Even at 165 lbs your back looked ripped and honestly pretty darn fit just from that one shot
I would hope so. i was always training LOL🤣
@@ChengisAlwaysClimbing overtraining you mean.
you just love to hate don't ya. 🤔
He’s jealous lol
@@TheCreatorSRJ oh please hahaha jealousy is weak.
150-160 is healthy for your height losing that weight made you just above underweight for your height
true. but for climbers, 150-160 at my height, it is pretty heavy
@ChengisAlwaysClimbing I'm gonna try and do like you and deficit my caloric intake I'm 210 right now but I'm 6 foot 3
Now you know?
Losing weight doesn’t make you a better climber it just makes climbing easier and it only works once then you got nothing left to lose so train at whatever is sustainable and get strong there then drop a couple pounds if you need the short term performance boost
so would the inverse be true then... does gaining weight not affect "how good" you are when it comes to climbing. Say you gain 50lbs....are you still the same. "good climber" prior to the weight gain???
You have to wait until your at 100% of your genetic potential to cut weight and send? Thats what you're suggesting in this comment.
"Short term performance boost"? LOL 🤡
"it doesn't make you a better climber, it only gives you a 2-4 grades head start"
Hey, I would take that.
Dude, so is Emil Abrahamsson just good then? Because he promotes a different philosophy and has better results ('great' results you could say) and has alot more science behind it to back it up and a ticklist to justify said philosophy. get in the sea with this casual pseudo crap please!
I implore people to watch more than just this if you think you're too heavy to climb what you want. Maybe its a power to weight issue, bad diet issues or even over training or not training smart etc.
So are you saying if all the climbers at the elite level put on 10-20 pounds then they would all of a suddenly climb much harder than before???
Your examples of "heavy" strong climbers are the anomaly...not the norm. There's a hand full of these climbers who manage to gain a solid amount of weight and improve their climbing. But for most, the vast majority, they maintain a relatively low body weight per their height and this is true regardless of their heights. Simply go look at the IFSC list of top ranking competitors, male and female and you will find all of them don't weigh that much in accordance with their height.
Yes, Emil is good for his weight (and height)
Also he probably has a good resistance to injuries for his height/weight, allowing him to train hard over years.
I mean it's a bit sad but look at the climbing competitions; the more bulky athletes are almost always dead last. I have a big ass and it does nothing for me.
Hey I really like your videos you get straight to the point it's refreshing but I think that endorsing reducing weight by eating less instead of practicing healthier eating choices is kind of a dangerous message to spread. Obviously this is not a comment on your health you do you, but i just think this is maybe not the best message for a community which already struggles with a high percentage of eating disorders
Bro, this is just physics. He's assuming you're eating healthy, the only way to weigh less is to eat less
Maybe its just because I already know about caloric deficit and everything but to me eating less = eating less calories. Being in a caloric deficit is the only way to lose weight. Doesn't matter if you are practicing healthier eating choices, if you are still in a caloric surplus then you will gain weight and to fix that then you simply eat less. By how much less is different for everyone but its usually not much. Everyone should be practicing healthier eating choices if they want to perform in any athletic sense. Also the meaning of a "healthy" diet is really hard to pin down. There are general rules that you can follow to be a generally healthy person but I have learned recently that there is a pretty insane variety of diets that are healthy and have althetes performing at their best. Highly recommend checking out Dave Macleod. He did an amazing video on eating nothing but McDonalds burger patties for two months and his results. Really expanded my perception of what it means for a diet to be "healthy".
This type of stupid comment is exactly the reason why the big names wont tell it to you straight...
@@michaelpook6651 yes some people could benefit from eating less but it should always be said that practicing healthier habits should be the first thing someone tries because eating less can be unsustainable and unhealthy. People with eating disorders will also take any excuse to relapse
I see you scuff...But literally the only way to lose weight is by being in a "calorie deficit." 99% of the time that's called "eating less (specially less calories)." There's no other words for it. And "eating less" can indeed be a "healthy habit." Just like how "eating more" can also be considered healthy depending on your scenario. So I do think the immediate jump on your perspective that "eating less" automatically means "unhealthy" is rather bias. Also considering the mention of the "climbing community" and how there is a "weight issue"...but that's only a small fraction of the climbing community. That's the "top level, elite" part of the climbing community which is not the "whole" of the community. The majority of the climbing community normally climbs at a V3-V6 level and live at a very very healthy weight with no desire to lose weight.
This video is nothing but toxic and misinformed. There is already a HUGE problem with eating disorders in our sport, and losing lots of weight is a very unsustainable way to get strong for the vast majority of climbers. Everyone already knows that losing weight "works" if you want to climb harder. But what people don't talk about as much is that staying at a weight below your body's setpoint and eating in a calorie deficit for a prolonged period of time will cause long-term damage to your health and your body will slowly but surely break down. After a few months or maybe it might take up to a few years, your muscle will start to eat itself and your body will stop functioning normally. It is especially dangerous for women because we are at risk of losing our periods and it makes us especially susceptible to diseases like osteoporosis. Please do actual research before talking about topics you know nothing about and potentially hurting viewers' health. Adequate nutrition for athletes/climbers that train hard is more important than short-term strength gains that you would get anyways with a few more months/years of training.
Why you making it seem like I'm telling everyone to lose 100 lbs...I just said "being lighter makes it easier to climb harder via weight loss."
hi :)
See? that's the problem right here. Eating disorders has nothing to do with this video. You can't beat eating disorders just by spouting "hey eat whatever you want in this bodyweight dependent sport" and expect great results.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Webb and Jan Hoer sit laughing at puny minded pseudo bullshit. Honestly content of this regard put out by casuals, and not backed up by nutritionist or pro coaches is some of the most dangerous culture breeding content out there. Be smart guys watch more than this and get expert advice.
you do realize Jimmy and Jan are like "way taller" than me and thus can afford to carry more weight...meanwhile climbers at my height...Megos, Tomoa, Stephano...none of them are close to weigher as much as Jimmy or Jan. And Jan is an anomaly in climbing in terms of his weight of 170lbs...while Adam who is very similar in height only weighs 155lbs. Are you saying Adam would be a better climber if you weighed as much as Hoer???
Jan and jimmy both over 6 feet... huh?
What the hell lol, that's the heaviest guys you could find? They're light haha. Jimmy is freaking shredded when in send mode. he's also 183cm.
Also, you literally find exceptions to the rule where all the good climbers on average tend to be very light.